Mana Pools - Guided Mobile Safari

Mana pools stretches along the banks of the lower reaches of the mighty Zambezi river. a vast wilderness of seasonal floodplains which each dry season become plains that attract great numbers of game drawn to the river and drying pools of water. Mana is home to great numbers of Elephant, Buffalo , Lion and some very approachable wild dogs. Birdlife on the rivers and plains is as colorful as it is varied and the scenery as the safari progresses is simply stunning. We created this safari to explore Mana from the river by canoe, gently paddling the Zambezi in to Mana and then setting off on foot crossing the vast wilderness fly camping along the way, ending with two nights at a classic luxury safari camp. The safari will be guided throughout by Doug MacDonald ensuring a well run, enjoyable and authentic safari experience. With the promise of exciting and interesting wildlife encounters and a true wilderness experience in the company of a highly experienced safari team and expert guide, we believe this safari is amongst the best we have ever arranged.

We have arranged this safari so that our guests can seamlessly continue onwards with Tyrone McKeith wildlife expert and Hon Zambia wildlife ranger to safari in Zambia on a quiet unique safari to discover Zambia’s Kafue National Park staying in a combination of mobile tented camps and small traditional safari camps. The Kafue has a startling diversity of wildlife and habitats that vary from shady woodland to vast open plains and meandering tree lined rivers. Click here for details of the Zambia extension.

Day 8 – Full day game viewing in the Chikwenya private concession area. Overnight Chikwenya Safari Lodge

Day 9 – Road Transfer to Lusaka to continue on your Zambia Safari Or head to Harare to catch your homeward flights

Safari Details

You will be met at the airport from whichever flight you choose to get to Harare of which there are many options, these include at this time, Emirates, KLM, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, British Airways, South African Airways. After clearing customs and immigration formalities a short drive will take you to the lodge where you will be able to relax in the gardens and have a nice meal either at the lodge or at one of Harare’s many good restaurants.

Canoe Safari – Chirundu to Mana Pools

An early start with a packed breakfast as we drive the 350kms to the Zimbabwe Border town of Chirundu. On route here you drive through the Zambezi Valley Escarpment before dropping down into the Rift valley which has some spectacular views. We meet our canoeing team at Chirundu and after some last bits of packing of our kit onto the canoes we leave Chirundu and start our canoe journey to Mana Pools. The canoes we use our 18ft Canadian style canoes which seat two people and our camping, personal kit and food is packed in the middle of the canoe. This unique way of travelling on safari is for some the ultimate safari experience, as you travel silently down the river using the gentle current of the river to push us along. As we go you will paddle past many pods of hippo, crocodiles basking on the banks and elephant and other large mammals feeding and drinking at the water’s edge. No previous canoeing experience is necessary for this.

The variety of birds along the shoreline adds to the whole experience. During the canoe journey you will be asked to help with basic camp chores such as helping with the tents and maybe peeling a potato and the fetching and carrying from the canoes to set up camp. The tents are walk in dome tents that sleep two people and have gauze tops which allow you to see the incredible African night skies through the night.

The Walk Across Mana Pools –

This part of the safari is a journey that few people have ever done in this way and you will see areas of this world heritage site that are rarely visited by people. We will have three different campsites that will be moved each day by our support team as we move down through the incredible Mana Pools National Park. The terrain is mostly flat with a total distance to walk of approximately 50kms in three days. The first day covers the main Mana Pools flood plain area which has a tremendous density of wildlife and in will not be very often that you will not see animals during this day. Our campsite is set up on the banks of the Zambezi with a beautiful view of the river and the escarpment. The next day takes us into the Nyamatusi Wilderness area. This part of the park is rarely visited and there are no camps or lodges within its area which make it a true wilderness area and still with large populations of animals to watch out for. We set up camp inside this Wilderness area overlooking a huge grassland area and the river. The next day takes us into the beautiful Mopane woodlands that come right up to the river bank, we walk through this before coming out into another large flood plain area that is now at the edge of the Mana Pools National Park. Here we shall be able to relax at our camp site over lunch before setting off again for a walk around this flood plain area that is teeming with wildlife before returning to camp. The next morning we say good bye to our camp crew after a good breakfast and make our way across the flood plain area and walk out of the Mana Pools National Park into the private concession area of Chikwenya Safari Lodge.

Chikwenya Safari Lodge

This is a very comfortable lodge set on the banks of the Sapi River, where it meets the Zambezi River. The Lodge and each of its well spaced rooms overlook the Zambezi River and an extensive grassland floodplain in this very remote area of the Zambezi Valley. Chikwenya has its own private concession area which has a tremendous population of game and a good variety of habitat, giving you more great wildlife viewing opportunities. While here we will be able to game view from the open safari vehicles, motorized boats on the river and you could even try your hand at a bit of tiger fishing, we will also have the opportunity to do night drives and walks as well.

Transfer to Harare OR Lusaka

We end our stay in Zimbabwe with a road transfer back to Harare to catch your homeward flights (may need an extra night in Harahe which we can arrange if required) . OR we if you join the second part of the safari you will continue with Tony to Lusaka in Zambia. We will travel in a covered vehicle back across the Zambezi Valley to the main road that links Zambia with Zimbabwe. We clear customs and immigration for the two countries and then drive back out of the Zambezi Valley and onwards to Lusaka. This road has some beautiful scenery on the way as we climb out the Valley. We will reach Lusaka for early afternoon. Where we will spend the night and have chance to meet Tyrone before setting off on your Kafue Safari the next morning

Mana pools stretches along the banks of the lower reaches of the mighty Zambezi river. a vast wilderness of seasonal floodplains which each dry season become plains that attract great numbers of game drawn to the river and drying pools of water. Mana is home to great numbers of Elephant, Buffalo , Lion and some very approachable wild dogs. Birdlife on the rivers and plains is as colorful as it is varied and the scenery as the safari progresses is simply stunning. We created this safari to explore Mana from the river by canoe, gently paddling the Zambezi in to Mana and then setting off on foot crossing the vast wilderness fly camping along the way, ending with two nights at a classic luxury safari camp. The safari will be guided throughout by Doug MacDonald ensuring a well run, enjoyable and authentic safari experience. With the promise of exciting and interesting wildlife encounters and a true wilderness experience in the company of a highly experienced safari team and expert guide, we believe this safari is amongst the best we have ever arranged.

We have arranged this safari so that our guests can seamlessly continue onwards with Tyrone McKeith wildlife expert and Hon Zambia wildlife ranger to safari in Zambia on a quiet unique safari to discover Zambia’s Kafue National Park staying in a combination of mobile tented camps and small traditional safari camps. The Kafue has a startling diversity of wildlife and habitats that vary from shady woodland to vast open plains and meandering tree lined rivers. Click here for details of the Zambia extension.

Day 8 – Full day game viewing in the Chikwenya private concession area. Overnight Chikwenya Safari Lodge

Day 9 – Road Transfer to Lusaka to continue on your Zambia Safari Or head to Harare to catch your homeward flights

Safari Details

You will be met at the airport from whichever flight you choose to get to Harare of which there are many options, these include at this time, Emirates, KLM, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, British Airways, South African Airways. After clearing customs and immigration formalities a short drive will take you to the lodge where you will be able to relax in the gardens and have a nice meal either at the lodge or at one of Harare’s many good restaurants.

Canoe Safari – Chirundu to Mana Pools

An early start with a packed breakfast as we drive the 350kms to the Zimbabwe Border town of Chirundu. On route here you drive through the Zambezi Valley Escarpment before dropping down into the Rift valley which has some spectacular views. We meet our canoeing team at Chirundu and after some last bits of packing of our kit onto the canoes we leave Chirundu and start our canoe journey to Mana Pools. The canoes we use our 18ft Canadian style canoes which seat two people and our camping, personal kit and food is packed in the middle of the canoe. This unique way of travelling on safari is for some the ultimate safari experience, as you travel silently down the river using the gentle current of the river to push us along. As we go you will paddle past many pods of hippo, crocodiles basking on the banks and elephant and other large mammals feeding and drinking at the water’s edge. No previous canoeing experience is necessary for this.

The variety of birds along the shoreline adds to the whole experience. During the canoe journey you will be asked to help with basic camp chores such as helping with the tents and maybe peeling a potato and the fetching and carrying from the canoes to set up camp. The tents are walk in dome tents that sleep two people and have gauze tops which allow you to see the incredible African night skies through the night.

The Walk Across Mana Pools –

This part of the safari is a journey that few people have ever done in this way and you will see areas of this world heritage site that are rarely visited by people. We will have three different campsites that will be moved each day by our support team as we move down through the incredible Mana Pools National Park. The terrain is mostly flat with a total distance to walk of approximately 50kms in three days. The first day covers the main Mana Pools flood plain area which has a tremendous density of wildlife and in will not be very often that you will not see animals during this day. Our campsite is set up on the banks of the Zambezi with a beautiful view of the river and the escarpment. The next day takes us into the Nyamatusi Wilderness area. This part of the park is rarely visited and there are no camps or lodges within its area which make it a true wilderness area and still with large populations of animals to watch out for. We set up camp inside this Wilderness area overlooking a huge grassland area and the river. The next day takes us into the beautiful Mopane woodlands that come right up to the river bank, we walk through this before coming out into another large flood plain area that is now at the edge of the Mana Pools National Park. Here we shall be able to relax at our camp site over lunch before setting off again for a walk around this flood plain area that is teeming with wildlife before returning to camp. The next morning we say good bye to our camp crew after a good breakfast and make our way across the flood plain area and walk out of the Mana Pools National Park into the private concession area of Chikwenya Safari Lodge.

Chikwenya Safari Lodge

This is a very comfortable lodge set on the banks of the Sapi River, where it meets the Zambezi River. The Lodge and each of its well spaced rooms overlook the Zambezi River and an extensive grassland floodplain in this very remote area of the Zambezi Valley. Chikwenya has its own private concession area which has a tremendous population of game and a good variety of habitat, giving you more great wildlife viewing opportunities. While here we will be able to game view from the open safari vehicles, motorized boats on the river and you could even try your hand at a bit of tiger fishing, we will also have the opportunity to do night drives and walks as well.

Transfer to Harare OR Lusaka

We end our stay in Zimbabwe with a road transfer back to Harare to catch your homeward flights (may need an extra night in Harahe which we can arrange if required) . OR we if you join the second part of the safari you will continue with Tony to Lusaka in Zambia. We will travel in a covered vehicle back across the Zambezi Valley to the main road that links Zambia with Zimbabwe. We clear customs and immigration for the two countries and then drive back out of the Zambezi Valley and onwards to Lusaka. This road has some beautiful scenery on the way as we climb out the Valley. We will reach Lusaka for early afternoon. Where we will spend the night and have chance to meet Tyrone before setting off on your Kafue Safari the next morning